Minnesota after Hoiberg for coaching vacancy

Thursday

Mar 28, 2013 at 3:06 AMApr 16, 2013 at 9:03 AM

The University of Minnesota has seriously approached Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg about its current men's basketball head coach vacancy, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

The University of Minnesota has seriously approached Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg about its current men’s basketball head coach vacancy, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Minnesota fired coach Tubby Smith on Monday and came to Hoiberg shortly thereafter.

The Gophers are now making a serious push to pull Hoiberg away from Ames, his hometown, sources told The Tribune.

KSTP in Minneapolis was first to report Minnesota’s overtures.

A call and text message to Hoiberg’s cell phone went unanswered Thursday afternoon. ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard did not return a voicemail or text message left by the Tribune.

Getting Hoiberg to leave his current job would seem difficult for Minnesota to accomplish considering Hoiberg’s ties to ISU and its community.

He grew up just blocks from campus, starred at Ames High School and was an All-American at ISU. Both his and his wife’s family currently reside in the Ames area.

Sources close to Hoiberg indicated prying him from his alma mater would be a major task for Minnesota.

ISU hired Hoiberg despite his having no prior coaching experience. Hoiberg had a 10-year NBA career following his graduation from ISU and was in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office for five years. Hoiberg played for the Wolves for two seasons before a heart condition was discovered that forced him into heart surgery and retirement.

Hoiberg first approached Pollard about the possibility of coaching at ISU when the job opened in 2006, but the Cyclones ultimately hired Northern Iowa’s Greg McDermott, who Hoiberg then replaced when McDermott left for Creighton after four losing seasons.

Hoiberg signed an extension last spring that puts him under contract through the 2020 season. His base salary for the 2012-13 season was $1.2 million, and he is set to receive a $75,000 bonus for his team’s NCAA Tournament selection and win in the Round of 64.

The deal, without incentives, has $11.2 million remaining on it. The contract also calls for a $500,000 buyout should Hoiberg take another college or NBA head coaching position or a general manager’s job in the NBA.

Minnesota’s interest likely gives Hoiberg leverage for a sweetened deal with the Cyclones, should he want it. He is among the lowest paid coaches in the Big 12.

The Gophers figure to be able to offer significantly more than Hoiberg is currently making at ISU, but there is a question of whether Minnesota presents a significant upward move for Hoiberg.

The Gophers are without a practice facility, which is considered a must by coaches in the high-stakes game of recruiting, while ISU opened the Sukup Basketball Complex in 2009 at the cost of $8 million.

Minnesota doesn’t have much in the way of recent basketball tradition, either, with just one NCAA Tournament win since 1990, though six years and a Final Four run were vacated due to NCAA rules violations.

The Cyclones have made two straight NCAA Tournament appearances, winning one game there both times, and Hoiberg was named the co-Big 12 Coach of the Year following the 2011-12 season.

Hoiberg also played at ISU during one of its most successful runs, playing in three NCAA Tournaments in the 1990s when he was given the nickname of “The Mayor” for his popularity in Ames.

Both programs will be tasked with replacing four contributing seniors next season, though Hoiberg and his staff have signed two top-100 prep recruits.

Minnesota does offer an unquestionable improvement in in-state recruiting opportunities.

Hoiberg has not signed a single Iowa prep player during his time with the Cyclones, and ISU is currently involved in the recruitment of just a small number of Iowa high schoolers.

Minnesota is home to three players ranked in the top 50 in the Class of 2014. Two are Rashad Vaughn and Reid Travis, both of whom ISU is currently actively recruiting. The third is Tyus Jones, considered by some as the top player nationally in the class.

Smith signed an extension with Minnesota last summer and was making close to $2 million per season, according to media reports.

He was fired after the Gophers got off to a fast start, but ultimately faded down the stretch in the Big Ten conference before winning one game in the NCAA Tournament.

“Our goal is to secure the best candidate to build a Big Ten and NCAA men’s basketball program that is a consistent winner,” Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague said at a press conference Monday. “We expect the new coach to manage and build the program. Expect him to recruit high-quality student athletes and develop them on and off the floor.”

Smith never finished higher than sixth in the Big Ten and accumulated a 124-81 record in six years at the helm of the Minnesota program. He led the Gophers to three NCAA Tournament appearances but won just one game there, this year against UCLA, which fired coach Ben Howland the following day.

The Gophers’ top target was reportedly VCU’s Shaka Smart, who was hired by Teague when he was the AD at VCU. Smart agreed to a new extension with VCU on Wednesday.

A Yahoo! Sports report was published over the weekend quoting anonymous NBA sources as saying that Hoiberg could get serious consideration for an NBA job due to his background in the league and his offensive Xs and Os acumen.

Hoiberg has previously stated his affinity for the professional game and also said he received some interest from the NBA last offseason.

A new job, though, would mean leaving Ames and his alma mater behind.

“It’s been great for me to be home,” Hoiberg said last week at the NCAA Tournament. “I grew up five blocks from Hilton Coliseum, used to walk to games. I was a ball boy as a kid. I was a ball boy for the football team, and I’ve just always had such a great passion for Cyclone athletics.

“To be back there coaching now, it’s a dream come true for me. My parents are there. My wife’s parents are in Ames. For my kids to be able to spend that quality time with their grandparents, it’s awesome.

“I love everything about Iowa State, and hopefully we can continue to make them proud.”

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